The famous hacker group known as Anonymous just released a video claiming that NASA discovered alien life, but the group didn’t actually found new evidence to support that claim. The video is merely made up of quotes from NASA that have been taken out of context, as well as information and videos from conspiracy theory websites.
Their whole argument is based on something that Thomas Zurbuchen, NASA’s associate administrator for the Science Mission Directorate, said during a hearing in April. The hearing, like others of this kind, was organized to inform the House Science Committee on the latest discoveries in a particular field of study.
During such hearing, Zurbuchen said that taking into account all of the different activities and missions that search for alien life, they were on the verge of making one of the most profound, unprecedented, discoveries in history.
NASA shuts down claims made by one Anonymous who said the agency found alien life
The new Anonymous video revolves around that quote from Zurbuchen. However, if you watch his opening statement, he explains the reasons why he makes such a claim. Zurbuchen mentions the Mars 2020 rover, which was designed to look for signs of past life on the planet. The Europa Clipper mission will be in charge of looking for conditions suitable for life on Jupiter’s moon. Also, the Keppler telescope has spotted thousands of planets around distant stars, and scientists believe there are billions more to be found. And the new James Webb Space Telescope could be capable of analyzing their atmospheres for signs of life.
Meaning, Zurbuchen did not say NASA found alien life, or that they discovered evidence to support that claim, he said that the agency has great missions on the work, which might help humans track down alien microbes.
During the same hearing, he noted that while NASA hadn’t found definitive signs of life elsewhere just yet, their search was making remarkable progress. Popular Science inquired Zurbuchen about the exact meaning, and NASA sent them a response statement.
“While we’re excited about the latest findings from NASA’s Kepler space observatory, there’s no pending announcement regarding extraterrestrial life. For years NASA has expressed interest in searching for signs of life beyond Earth,” said the statement, according to Popular Science. “We have a number of science missions that are moving forward with the goal of seeking signs of past and present life on Mars and ocean worlds in the outer solar system. While we do not yet have answers, we will continue to work to address the fundamental question, ‘are we alone?’”
‘Amonymous Global’ is known to post conspiracy theory videos
The Anonymous video features a man, who calls himself “Anonymous Global,” wearing a Guy Fawkes mask, reading out quotes from NASA spokespeople in a synthesized voice. He quotes what Zurbuchen said in the cited hearing, as well as other quotes from other spokespeople. The video lasts 12 minutes.
After “Anonymous Global” finishes quoting NASA spokespeople, he sits in front of random UFO footage and talks about an “alien protocol” and conspiracy theories.
The New Yorker once wrote that Anonymous is not an organization of hackers, but rather a “shape-shifting subculture” made up of anti-establishment Internet users. Anyone can claim allegiance to it, as it is an open-access brand.
“Anonymous Global,” for instance, was someone who made videos about the flight simulator X-Plane, until about a year ago, when he embraced the Anonymous brand. Some of his other videos include “Anonymous 10 Greatest Conspiracy Theories” and “Anonymous Some Thoughts on Christmas 2016.”
If NASA finds alien life it would have to double-check the claims before informing the public
According to Popular Science, if NASA were to make an announcement about extraterrestrial life, there are some hints that would help to identify alien life. For example, strange organisms in other planets. Alien bacteria or organisms have been found before but they’re not proof that alien life exists.
The Curiosity rover is equipped to detect biomarkers, such as organic materials, on Mars, although it’s not able to detect extraterrestrial life on Mars. Biosignatures in the atmosphere of exoplanets are already being detected, and scientists have been able to identify water, methane, oxygen, and other life-relevant molecules in the atmospheres of distant worlds. But still, not enough to prove E.T. life.
Some scientists also believe that the Tabby Star is proof of alien life. The Tabby Star, or the Alien Megastructure Star, is a star with inexplicable dimming behavior that started acting weird again on May, and some scientists believe that the phenomenon is caused by a giant megastructure located in front of the star, and built by aliens. However, this hypothesis has not been proved.
If NASA really did found alien life, guidelines from the SETI Institute dictate that the agency’s first step will be to confirm the signals are really from alien life, then confirm it some more, and lastly inform the public.
Source: Popular Science